Lisa's Gambit
by Omega Ultra
Summary: One-Shot: When life gives you a challenge, it's up to you to either break under pressure or stand your ground and fight back. And this time, it's Lisa's turn to prove herself.


**A/N Man, it's been a week since I ended Unwavering Bonds and I'm still writing. I really need to take a break, don't I? Ehh, I haven't hit burnout yet… I think. Anyways! Here's a little one-shot scene involving Lisa! I thank my friends at chess club for making this composition and MrTyeDye for editing!**

 **R &R!**

Lisa's Gambit

"All right Lisa, are you sure you wanna keep studying? I mean your game is in a few minutes…" The young boy looks down upon his little sister, concern filling his gaze, "Maybe it would be better if you rested your mind. That way you can play with everything you've got."

Yet, much to his surprise, the four-year-old waves her hand at him, "Nonsense. If I am to stand a chance against her, I must be prepared to play against any and all theoretical lines!"

The young boy takes a deep breath and begins to flip through the small book he holds in his hands. _"There's no arguing with her I guess…"_ Before he stops on a random pages and continues, "All right then, all right… do you want me to test you again?"

She nods in response, "Of course dear brother, of course." Before she begins to pace in front of him, no doubt nervous about the challenge she would soon be tasked to surmount.

"All right then, all right…" He reads a few of the lines of the page, before pulling the book close and looking back at the young girl, asking, "White opens with e3."

And without hesitation she replies, "Van't Krujis Opening."

"Correct. Next opening: white starts e4 and black replies d6, what defense is that?" The boy asks.

"Pirc." She replies. "The Pirc Defense."

"Good." Lincoln rubs his chin. "After that, white plays d4 and black replies e5, what variation is it?"

"The Maroczy Defense." Lisa doesn't hesitate to reply."

" _So far, so good."_ Lincoln flips to another page and reads over the words on it as well. "All right then how about g4?"

"That's Grob's Opening." the young scientist hastily replies, seemingly annoyed by the question, "It is not too popular due to the weakening of the king's side early game, but it is entirely playable as an opening."

"Good." Lincoln closes the book, "It looks like you know your openings, but do you know the theoretical lines that could follow from them?"

"Of course, elder brother." The young scientist gives her elder brother a small nod. "But I do not believe those will be necessary. I have been preparing for over a month now and have seen her habits. I know that she dislikes theory and I will use that to my advantage."

"All right then," He stands up straight and closes the book, "there isn't much else I can try to teach you at this point. So…" He walks over and begins to run his hand through her short, brown hair, "All I can say now is, good luck. And remember, she's not your little sister here. She's your opponent." He cracks a small smile, "Treat her as such."

The young girl nods in understanding. "I know that fact very well, Lincoln. Thank you for your assistance in preparing me for this rematch."

"No problem, Lisa." He squats down to her height and looks into her eyes, "Now you go out and play as best as you can!"

"I intend to." She replies, before taking a deep breath stepping out of the room, with her brother and coach following closely behind. _"I am the greatest chess master this family has to offer,"_ she thinks, her mind racing back to the night that had led to the day's events.

She remembers sitting at the family coffee table, simply analyzing random positions on her chessboard. Most would find such a task boring, but to Lisa, it is a simple hobby that would take her mind off the tasks of the day.

That is, until a certain blonde-haired girl decided to ask her how to play. Of course, after a few minutes of convincing, she accepted. _"I am the one who taught you how to play chess. I have spent countless hours of my short life studying every variation and play one could make…"_

Suddenly, their first game appears before her eyes. She finds herself gazing upon her surprised visage after realizing just how her king and queen were both cornered, before she tips her king in shame. The words, "I resign" fill her mind with that.

" _I cannot let that defeat stand!"_ slowly, her hand brushes up against the stairwell railing, allowing her to safely make her way down. _"The first time you beat me, I swore that I would return and challenge you once again. I am a genius, this game should mean nothing to me!"_ She clenches her free fist. _"But it does, and so in order to prove my aptitude in it, I will not lose again!"_ She looks up, allowing her eyes to fall upon the board on which they would play their game.

It is simple in design, with the typical eight-by-eight checkerboard pattern required to play a game such as this, with a simple wooden border around the playing field. Her opponent sits in a small chair in front of the black pieces. As the challenger Lisa would be allowed the white pieces and the first move. _"From move one, I must work to gain the initiative against her king."_

" _I will not make the same mistake again."_ She shakes her head and turns to face the board.

"Poo-poo." Her opponent greets, flailing her arms and smiling. "Poo-poo!"

"Yes, I am ready, Lily." Lisa calmly replies, before taking a seat on her side of the board. "I challenge you for my grandmaster title back! I will defeat you!"

Suddenly, the cold power of command fills the infant's gaze. "Poo-poo," she coldly replies, before motioning towards the young scientist and chuckling, "Poo-poo!"

The young scientist chooses not to answer the taunt. Instead, she simply looks into her infant sister's eyes, steeling her resolve as she does so. Unlike her typical diaper, the young girl wears a lavender T-shirt and blue jeans, while her older sister wears a green dress with a matching jacket.

A few moments pass, before Lincoln hops on the couch, a small notebook in hand, "All right, I want a fair game. Time controls are as follows: you both have one hundred minutes for your first forty moves, fifty minutes for your next twenty moves and fifteen minutes for the rest of the game. I will be writing transcript of this for reference purposes. Is this clear?"

"Yes, dear brother." Lisa nods, not averting her gaze from her younger sibling.

Lily nods as well, a fierce determination overtaking her as she does so, "Poo-poo."

"And, begin!" the boy commands, prompting Lily to hit their chess clock, causing the digital numbers to begin counting down.

" _Don't overthink this beginning."_ The young scientist considers her next move, _"I have to break the wall she will no doubt set for me. That means I must attack that which cannot be pierced!_ " She puts on a determined gaze, before declaring, "e4."

Seemingly without even thinking, the infant grabs her knight and places it in front of her king's pawn. "Poo-poo!"

Quickly, Lincoln scribbles down some words, (Translation: Knight f6)

" _She's going for the Alekhine Defense?"_ Lisa raises an eyebrow. _"She seems to be unfazed by my challenge!"_ Quickly, Lisa grips the pawn she had pushed and moves it one square forward, attacking the black knight. "Pawn e5."

Then, almost as quickly as her first move, Lily grabs the night and brings it back to its starting square, following it up with a cute giggle. "Haha!"

Lisa's eyes widen in shock. _"S-she went for the Brooklyn Variation?! S-she's taunting me?!"_ The young girl shivers. _"I-I must have made a mistake then! N-no! I cannot lose control of this game!"_ Her hand trembles as she pushes her next piece. "d4." Slowly, she pulls her hand back and gives a weak smile. "Well Lily, you've allowed me to take the center. I will defeat you!"

The infant smiles, and spouts off random baby gibberish, (Oh really now?) before grabbing her queen's pawn and pushing it forward. "Poo-poo." (I play d6)

Suddenly, the realization hit her. Her sister had purposefully let her push her pawns forward and take the center, just so that she would be able to undermine her work without issue!

" _No! She's still in control! I cannot let this happen! I must keep control of the center, without it I will not have a solid base from where to launch my attacks!"_ Without a second thought, she grabs her kingside night and brings it forward, allowing it to protect the pawn. "Knight to f3."

Yet, the infant shakes her head in disappointment. (Oh Lisa, don't you know just what you're inviting me to do now?)

The young girl nods in understanding, prompting Lily to grab her light-square bishop and move it forward, all the way until it is on the same diagonal as the knight. (Bishop g4)

Slowly, Lisa's eyes fall upon the knight, Lily's bishop now having pinned it to her queen. _"I can't move my knight or else I lose my queen!"_ She grabs her queenside knight. _"In the meantime, I cannot allow Lily to force me to move my queen early, or else I may not be able to keep my advantage!"_ And so, she places her piece and declares, "Knight, b to d2."

Lily rubs her chin for a moment, before she grabs her pawn and grabs Lisa's pawn, placing her own in its place. "Poo-poo!" (b takes on e5)

" _She sidelined me!"_ The young girl quickly refocuses her gaze upon what had just happened. _"By forcing me to react to one attack, she stopped me from taking on the real threat- me losing my center of control!"_ She quickly grabs white pawn and swaps it out for Lily's. " _I must keep the pressure on her!"_ And so she declares, "d takes on e5."

Without hesitation, Lily grabs her queenside knight and brings it into the game as well. (Knight to c6)

" _Oh no! She's now attacking my weak pawn! I must defend it!"_ The young scientist scans the board for a moment, allowing her gaze to fall upon her light-square bishop. _"Perfect!"_ She smiles as she grabs the piece and brings it into line with the black knight, repeating a tactic that Lily had used just a few moves earlier. "Bishop to b5!"

Yet, Lily remains unfazed by this turn of events, choosing to simply grab the bishop pinning Lisa's knight and pull it back. (I retreat, bishop to d7)

Lisa's heart begins to race. _"I have managed to force her to retreat! This is perfect! I just have to keep up the pressure and I'll win!"_ Slowly, the young girl finds her gaze falling upon her opponent: her fifteen-month-old sister. The infant's fierce gaze still focused on her.

" _Yet… she seems unaffected by my moves… it's almost as if she has anticipated everything I have done!"_ She grabs the knight that is covering her pinned knight and moves it. _"Now I must guard my e5 pawn. Once Lily captures it, I'll capture her bishop with check, and once that's recaptured with her queen, I will still be up this exchange!"_ Lisa then declares, "Knight to c4."

"Poo-poo." Lily shakes her head in disappointment, seemingly knowing exactly what her toddler sister had been thinking about. She speaks in baby gibberish, (Lisa, you haven't thought this through at all.)

"What are you talking about?!" She flares her arms for emphasis. "I have-"

Yet, before she could even finish, Lily declares, "Poo-poo!" (Knight takes on e5)

Fear begins to fill the young girl's body. _"H-have I missed anything? N-no! I could not have! I made sure to check every possible variation!"_ She steels her resolve, "I will not waver! Bishop takes on d7, check!"

Lily just shakes her head once more. (Oh Lisa, you should've thought before attempting to pin me like this.) She grabs her knight and pulls back, (Because now, I'm up a pawn. Knight takes on d7.)

Suddenly, fear begins to fill the toddler's body, while adrenaline floods her veins. _"N-no! This can't be true!"_ Immediately, she counts the pieces on the board, her heart racing even faster as she does so, _"Black has seven pawns and I have… six…"_ Her eyes go wide in realization, _"I'm one pawn short…"_

(So, what's your next move gonna be Lisa?) Lily smiles, before putting her extra pawn in her mouth and sucking on it as if it were a pacifier; no doubt to taunt her older sister.

" _I… I need to bring my king to safety."_ Suddenly, a rush of panic attacks her. The young girl's eyes dart around the board for a moment, carefully analyzing the position Lily had brought them into, before she declares, "I castle kingside!" And with that, the four-year-old brings her king over two squares and moves the rook over to defend it.

(Time to go all in.) Lily chuckles, before she grabs her undeveloped knight and declares, (Knight, g to f6)

" _I must regain the initiative against her king!"_ Lisa quickly responds by grabbing her remaining dark-square bishop. "Bishop to g5!"

"Poo-poo." (Here, let me help you.) The infant speaks with a sadistic tone, (e6).

" _S-she's willingly pinning her knight?!"_ Lisa falls back in her chair in surprise, only to immediately force herself back, "Rook to e1." She focuses her gaze on the black king, _"I cannot let her mind games get to me!"_

"Poo-poo." (Bishop e7) Lily smiles, before speaking in baby gibberish. (A simple move for a complicated game.)

"Queen d4!" Lisa grabs her second-tallest piece, as well as the most powerful one in her possession and moves it forward with trembling hands, though she would not let her fear show.

(Knight to b6) Lily nonchalantly moves the horse-shaped piece over, revealing the black queen, ripe and ready to be captured.

" _I cannot let her trade queens on her terms. I will do it of my own accord!"_ She grabs one of her rooks and places it behind her queen, _"This way, we trade on d4 instead of d8!"_ She smiles, hope and determination flooding her veins. "Rook a to d1."

Lily pauses for a moment, before shrugging, seemingly not caring about the sudden turn of events. "Poo-poo." (Queen takes on d4)

And immediately, Lisa replies, "Rook takes on d4."

Suddenly, a cold air begins to overtake the duo. As if the mere idea of what Lily has in store for her sister is enough to cause fear to overtake both her opponent and their lone spectator.

(I castle.) Lily coldly declares, before moving her king over and placing her rook next to it to defend.

" _I-I'm all right here. I can hold this position!"_ Lisa looks up at her little sister, the young girl's once bright and bubbly expression having turned into a look of not only determination, but also dominance. _"T-those aren't my little sister's eyes… t-those are the eyes of a cold and calculating master."_ The toddler can't help but shiver at the sight. "R-rook e1 to d1."

Almost instantly, Lily replies, (Rook a8 to d8).

" _T-this isn't good! I have force her to be on her toes!"_ Quickly, Lisa grabs her knight and capture's Lily's. _"This should be enough to move her focus away from-"_

Yet, before she could even finish her thought or declare the move for Lincoln to write down, Lily speaks up, "Poo-poo, poo-poo." (Knight takes on b6, a takes on b6.)

"Knight e5!" Lisa quickly replies, desperate to keep up with the engine-like precision of her little sister, but to no avail.

(c5.) She easily counters, looking into her older sister's eyes as she does so. "Poo-poo." (Your move.)

" _My rook is attacked… I must move it away…"_ Lisa grabs the piece, _"I have to keep this piece balance. I may be down a pawn, but that doesn't mean I can lose my position!"_ With that, she declares, "Rook d4 to d2."

Quickly, Lily then grabs her kingside pawn and pushes it forward. (h6!)

" _I cannot break! She's putting as much pressure as she can on me!"_ With a shaky hand, she grabs her bishop and pulls back. "I retreat! Bishop to e3!"

(Knight d5!) The infant grabs her knight and moves it in front of the rooks, not only stopping them from attacking, but also attacking Lisa's remaining bishop!

" _I must protect it! If I am to lose it then the least I can do is not compromise my king's position to do so!"_ She frantically grabs her knight and moves it over, allowing it to guard the bishop. "Knight to c4."

Lily doesn't even stop to reconsider her next move, before grabbing the bishop and placing her knight in its place. "Poo!" (Knight takes on e3.)

" _Too much simplification is going on here!"_ Lisa grabs Lily's knight and places her own in its place. "Knight takes on e3."

With that out of the way, Lily grabs Lisa's rook as well and places her rook in its place, (Rook d8 takes on d2).

" _I have to respond."_ Lisa repeats the movement, placing her own rook in its place as she does so. "Rook d1 takes on d2."

After that, Lily moves her rook over, bringing it in line to Lisa's remaining one. (Rook f8 to d8.)

Suddenly, Lisa's eyes go wide in fear. _"N-no! at this rate I won't be able to hold this position! I need to keep as many pieces on the board as I possibly can!"_ She grabs her rook and moves it out of the way. "Rook d2 to e2!"

Lily blinks twice, before smiling and grabbing her bishop, bringing it in-line with Lisa's knight. "Poo-poo." (Bishop g5)

The toddler scans the board once more, before taking a deep breath and moving the knight out of the way. _"I have no issues in this position, right? I'll just move the night and begin consolidating…"_ She takes a soft breath and grabs the piece, "Knight to c4."

"Poo-poo." (Good game Lisa.) The infant grabs the rook and brings it down to the first rank. "Poo-poo!" (Rook d1, check!)

Immediately, the young scientist's eyes go wide in shock, _"H-how could I have let this happen?"_ She grabs her head in surprise before grabbing the rook and blocking, "R-rook to e1…"

And with that, Lily grabs Lisa's rook and places her own in its place, "Poo-poo, Lisa." (Checkmate, Lisa.)

The young girl stares at the board for a moment to confirm, and from what she can see, it's true. Because Lisa had been so conservative about pushing her pawns, now they act as a wall against her king, trapping it in place. _"I-I've failed…"_ She looks down and tips her king over, signaling her defeat.

"And game!" Lincoln hops to his feet and runs his hand through his toddler sister's hair. "Don't worry Lisa, I'm sure you'll win next time!"

She looks down, choosing not to respond.

"Poo-poo." Lily speaks with a soft tone, before leaning over and placing her little hand on her older sister's face, following it up with some soft gibberish.

"I know I played well, but it still wasn't enough to defeat you!" The toddler replies, looking away in shame as she does so.

Yet, the younger girl crosses her arms and shakes her head, "Poo-poo."

"Yes, yes, you're a grandmaster. You don't need to rub it in!" She quickly counters.

"Poo-poo." Lily smiles at her.

"You mean it? You'll let me play you again?" Hope fills the young scientist's voice.

And the infant nods.

The girl smiles, before standing up straight and adjusting her glasses. "Very well then. This match will be continued."

"Great!" Lincoln cuts in with a cheerful voice, "Now how about you two come with me and I'll make you some of that formula you two love so much? As reward for a great game!" He turns and picks them, hoisting them in his arms.

"S-sure Lincoln." Lisa blushes in embarrassment, while Lily claps her hands in joy. And with that, they had into the kitchen, leaving the chess board behind… for now.

9 8-15-16-5 25-15-21 7-21-25-19 5-14-10-15-25-5-4 20-8-5 7-1-13-5, 3-8-5-19-19 3-12-21-2!

 **A/N I hope you guys enjoyed! As always, R &R, and if you wanna find me, feel free to join the Loud House Discord Server!**


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